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Posted January 4, 2013 05:55 pm - Updated January 4, 2013 06:49 pm

Special

Oconee Co. High School students attend distracted-driving conference

The National Organizations for Youth Safety recently announced that Oconee County High School students Hannah Marie Walters and John Isaac Smith were appointed as one of 19 teams from across the country that will lead a teen distracted driving prevention initiative in their local community.

Walters and Smith joined more than 100 youth at the Teen Distracted Driving Prevention Summit held during December in Washington D.C. The summit included three days of presentations and training about texting and driving. The pair will bring the program back to the Athens and Oconee area to help with the problem of distracted driving.

Texting drivers are 23 times more likely to be in an vehicle accident, but teen drivers are four times more likely than adult drivers to be involved in a crash, according to the organization. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for those 15 to 20 years old.

“Distracted driving is an epidemic on our roadways and our youngest drivers are among the most at risk,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “I’m thrilled these young ambassadors will be spreading the word to fellow teens in their communities that texting and driving don’t mix.”

“We had experience in the field from my children’s book ‘Safety with Bee a Buckler’ and from working together in the Act Out Loud competition,” Walters said. “The summit seemed like another opportunity to learn ways to attract our peers to safety because texting and driving is something that has plagued most people our age and even friends.”

At the summit, the students met with federal and state officials, learned about distracted driving issues and preventative efforts and joined in creating a plan to address this issue from a youth perspective.

The initiative is made possible through the support of the primary summit sponsor, AT&T, in addition to Operation Lifesaver, Chartis Insurance, Chrysler, Ford, Nationwide Insurance, Toyota, and Make Roads Safe. More information is available at www.noys.org.